Caucasus and Turkey — Practice Quiz

A World History cheat sheet for Caucasus and Turkey — every key formula with its symbols defined — plus a medium-level practice quiz to test recall.

Formulas & key concepts

The eastern Roman Empire, centered on Constantinople, which preserved Roman law and Greek learning for a thousand years after Rome's fall.

Byzantine Empire

Where: Capital: Constantinople

The Byzantine emperor who reconquered lost lands, codified Roman law, and built the great church of Hagia Sophia.

Justinian

Where: Reigned 527-565 CE

The split that divided Christianity into the Roman Catholic Church in the west and the Eastern Orthodox Church in the Byzantine east.

Great Schism

Where: 1054 CE

The monotheistic faith founded in Arabia by the prophet Muhammad, whose followers, Muslims, follow the Qur'an and the Five Pillars.

Rise of Islam

Where: Hijrah to Medina, 622 CE

The Muslim states led by caliphs that spread Islam across the Middle East, North Africa, and Spain after Muhammad's death.

Caliphates

Where: Umayyads, then Abbasids

The two main branches of Islam, divided over who should rightfully lead the Muslim community after Muhammad.

Sunni and Shi'a

Under the Abbasids, Muslim scholars advanced mathematics, medicine, and astronomy and preserved Greek learning at centers like Baghdad's House of Wisdom.

Islamic Golden Age

The early Slavic state centered on Kiev that adopted Byzantine Orthodox Christianity and the Cyrillic alphabet.

Kievan Rus

Where: Vladimir converted c. 988

Central Asian Turkish Muslims who conquered much of the Middle East, ruling through officials called viziers and pressuring the Byzantines.

Seljuk Turks

The powerful Turkish Muslim empire that captured Constantinople in 1453 and peaked under Suleyman the Lawgiver, ruling the Middle East, North Africa, and southeastern Europe.

Ottoman Empire

Where: Mehmed II took Constantinople

A Shi'a Muslim Persian empire, rival to the Ottomans, that flourished under Shah Abbas with its splendid capital at Esfahan.

Safavid Empire

Practice quiz

  1. The Byzantine Empire, the eastern Roman Empire, was centered on which capital city?

    • Rome
    • Alexandria
    • Constantinople
    • Athens

    Answer: Constantinople

  2. Which Byzantine emperor was responsible for codifying Roman law and overseeing the construction of the great church of Hagia Sophia?

    • Constantine
    • Theodosius
    • Justinian
    • Basil II

    Answer: Justinian

  3. The Great Schism of 1054 CE resulted in the division of Christianity into which two main branches?

    • Protestant and Catholic
    • Eastern Orthodox and Protestant
    • Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox
    • Anglican and Roman Catholic

    Answer: Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox

  4. The monotheistic faith of Islam was founded in Arabia by which prophet?

    • Abraham
    • Moses
    • Jesus
    • Muhammad

    Answer: Muhammad

  5. After the death of Muhammad, Muslim states led by caliphs, such as the Umayyads and Abbasids, were known as what?

    • Sultanates
    • Emirates
    • Caliphates
    • Khanates

    Answer: Caliphates

  6. The primary division between Sunni and Shi'a branches of Islam arose from disagreements over what issue?

    • The interpretation of the Qur'an
    • Who should rightfully lead the Muslim community after Muhammad
    • The Five Pillars of Islam
    • The role of women in society

    Answer: Who should rightfully lead the Muslim community after Muhammad

  7. During the Islamic Golden Age, particularly under the Abbasids, what was a significant achievement?

    • The invention of the printing press
    • Major advancements in mathematics, medicine, and astronomy
    • The discovery of the Americas
    • The construction of the Great Wall

    Answer: Major advancements in mathematics, medicine, and astronomy

  8. Kievan Rus, an early Slavic state centered on Kiev, adopted which religion and alphabet from the Byzantine Empire around c. 988?

    • Roman Catholicism and Latin
    • Buddhism and Sanskrit
    • Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Cyrillic
    • Islam and Arabic

    Answer: Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Cyrillic

  9. Which powerful Turkish Muslim empire captured Constantinople in 1453 CE and later peaked under Suleyman the Lawgiver?

    • Seljuk Empire
    • Mughal Empire
    • Safavid Empire
    • Ottoman Empire

    Answer: Ottoman Empire

  10. The Safavid Empire, a Shi'a Muslim Persian empire and rival to the Ottomans, was known for its splendid capital city under Shah Abbas. What was this capital?

    • Baghdad
    • Damascus
    • Esfahan
    • Cairo

    Answer: Esfahan

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